THERMAL ANALYSIS IN THIN-FILM FLUID REGIONS OF RECTANGULAR MICROGROOVE

The effects of contact angle and superheat on thin film thickness and heat flux distribution occurring in a rectangle microgroove are numerically simulated. Accordingly, physical and mathematical models are built in detail. Numerical results indicate that meniscus radius and thin film thickness increase with the improvement of contact angle. The heat flux distribution in the thin film region increases nonlinearly as the contact angle decreases. The total heat transfer through the thin film region increases with the improvement of superheat, and decreases as the contact angle increases. When the contact angle is equal to zero, the heat transfer in the thin film region accounts for more than 80% of  the total heat transfer. Intensive evaporation in the thin film region plays a key role in heat transfer for the rectangle capillary microgroove. The liquid with higher wetting performance is more capable of playing the advantages  of higher intensity heat transfer in thin film region. The current investigation will result in a better understanding of thin film evaporation and its effect on the effective thermal conductivity in the rectangle microgroove.